Shadowing Practice: TOEFL Speaking | Listen & Repeat Practice #323 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “TOEFL Speaking”. This video has 12 sentences and 98 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:16.
Key vocabulary in this video
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| furniture noun | /ˈfɝ.nɪ.t͡ʃɚ/ | Large movable item(s), usually in a room, which enhance(s) the room's characteristics, functionally or decoratively. |
| carefully adverb | /ˈkɛɹf(ə)li/ | With care; attentively, circumspectly. |
| arrange verb | /əˈɹeɪnd͡ʒ/ | To set up; to organize; to put into an orderly sequence or arrangement. |
| organize verb | /ˈɔɹɡənaɪz/ | To arrange in working order. |
| decoration noun | /ˌdɛkəˈɹeɪʃən/ | The act of adorning, embellishing, or honoring; ornamentation. |
| beep noun | /biːp/ | The sound produced by the horn of a car, or any similar sound. |
| rearrange verb | /ˌɹiːəˈɹeɪndʒ/ | To change the order or arrangement of (one or more items). |
| comfortable adjective | /ˈkʌm(p)f.tə.bəl/ | Providing physical comfort and ease; agreeable. |
| repeat verb | /ɹɪˈpiːt/ | To do or say again (and again). |
| measure noun | /ˈmeɪ.ʒɚ/ | A limit that cannot be exceeded; a bound. (Now chiefly in set phrases.) |
| replace verb | /ɹɪˈpleɪs/ | To restore to a former place, position, condition, etc.; to put back. |
| sentence noun | /ˈsɛn.təns/ | The judicial order for a punishment to be imposed on a person convicted of a crime. |
| scheme noun | /skiːm/ | A representation of the aspects of the celestial bodies for any moment or at a given event. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | You'll hear |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: decoration /ˌdɛkəˈɹeɪʃən/, measure /ˈmeɪ.ʒɚ/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like furniture, carefully, arrange.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.





























